4 Homemade Foundation Recipes

This post is for all of you who enjoy the smoothing effects of foundation, but want to be able to make your own homemade foundation in order to be frugal and/or for the peace of mind that comes with knowing exactly what you are putting on your body. Making homemade powder and liquid foundation involves adding ingredients a little at a time until you find that perfect color. What’s great is that it’s not hard to do when you have all the ingredients at home.

Cinnamon – There is cinnamon cassia and ceylon (and their varieties). Ceylon has more essential oil in it. If you have a very good quality Ceylon cinnamon, the oils can irritate the skin. For using cinnamon in these recipes, I would use a low grade cinnamon cassia and make sure you’re not sensitive first.

Nutmeg– Nutmeg is the darkest of the three tones listed, but makes a beautiful color when mixed with the above.

Directions:

Measure 1/4 cup of base into a small container.

Slowly mix in the color options until you get the shade that fits you. Use 1/4 tsp. at a time. Play around until it fits your skin tone. To make future batches easier, try to keep in mind how much you end up using and write it down.

Homemade Foundation Powder #2

Ingredients:

Directions:

Mix the arrowroot powder and kaolin clay in a small container or bowl.

Add cocoa powder until color is right (1/4 tsp at a time).

Homemade Foundation Powder #3 – Mineral Foundation

For those of you who want a more complex recipe, here is a mineral recipe.

Mica is a silicate mineral. We used to have sheets of it through our yard if you only dug a few inches. Zinc oxide is found in most sunscreens and has been identified as a possible carcinogen in its nano form (most sunscreen use the nano form so it will absorb and not appear as white on the skin), so if you are buying titanium dioxide make sure it is non-nano. Iron Oxide seems to be…rust. Yet, I have read over and over that it is a synthetically prepared inorganic product when used in cosmetics, so you would have to know your source very well. All of these powders are very harmful if you breathe them in so be very careful when making this (I advise wearing a mask).

Homemade Foundation – Liquid

Ingredients:

Directions:

Make one of the powder recipes from above.

Add a few drops of one of the oils above. Start with one or two drops and add slowly as you mix. Remember, the darker the oil, the darker the foundation will be. For very light skin, use light oils like apricot kernel oil. If it is still too dark, start with a lighter powder base or even your favorite lotion.

You can keep this fairly dry and press it into a compact. Use a brush like you would normally. Or you can add more oil or lotion to create a liquid.

As for the use of synthetic iron oxides in mineral makeup, it’s because naturally occurring iron oxides contain lead and other toxic heavy metals. This is one of the (few) cases where something synthetic is preferable to the naturally occurring option. That is, if you plan on wearing makeup, which most women do.

I use this powder recipe also, but I add a little ginger, because my skin has a bit if a yellow tint. I also make a big batch, a pint mason jar full, and that way I just add more to my compact when I need it, and add essential oil to make it a pressed powder. I have been using this for a little over a year and my skin is so much better even without it now!

Wow, that’s wonderful!
I love the ginger idea.
I thought of using turmeric on my face for Halloween. I figured my kids would love that. But I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t come off for about a week. Ha ha. I think I need a different plan 🙂

I’m not sure what you can find or not find, but I know you have a lot of beautiful spices. Tamarind, ginger, etc. Any of these can be used. You can use cornstarch as a base if you can’t find arrowroot or rice powder. Root through your kitchen and see what you can find, just make sure you experiment on your wrist first to make sure you do not have a reaction, and remember that some wash off easier than others.

Coconut oil might make a nice creamy base for a foundation…I will try that with the suggested powders. This is great, now I am truly following the rule I tell parents in my infant massage classes: don’t put anything on the skin that you wouldn’t eat!

I made this but have some crazy high quality cinnamon and it burned my face….. Anyone else have this problem? Maybe the cinnamon was too intense or my skin can’t tolerate it. It looked great before if started to tingle and turn my face red. Lol

It’s probably not the quality of the cinnamon, but just that you are sensitive to it. I’m so sorry that happened to you. Always try it on a tiny area like your wrist or a spot on your neck first. You can try cocoa powder instead.

There is cinnamon cassia and ceylon (and their varieties). Ceylon has more essential oil in it. If you have a very good quality Ceylon cinnamon, the oils can irritate the skin. For using cinnamon in these recipes I would use a low grade cinnamon cassia and make sure you’re not sensitive first. I will make the notation above too. Thanks for the comments.

I tried this recipe. I didn’t have any green clay so I used Bentonite clay ( is that green clay? IDK but used it anyway) I used the cocoa powder and almond oil and arrow root. The batch came out too dark so I made another batch using less cocoa but had the same trouble. Any suggestions on using something to make a lighter color? Perhaps omitting the cocoa and just using the almond oil and arrow root?

Well, I tried making it w.o. the cocoa and it was green so I added a little cinnamon but it was still dark. I added some almond oil a little at a time to make a creamy texture. When I rubbed it on my skin, it absorbed good but had no color and if I rubbed too long, it became gritty…Do the homemade versions cover and even out skin tone like the store bought foundations? Any suggestions? I soo want to make my own cream foundation…Perhaps you could make a you tube video? or already have? LOL

Green? Grapeseed oil has a greenish tint, but not almond oil… Do you like powder foundation? You may want to try powder instead. I use the cream for blemis cover, not all over due to having freckles-) but I use the powder version. I haven’t made a video. Maybe I’ll have to.

I think its from the Benzonite Clay but that’s all I have for now and I prefer the cream because I have a touch of roscea and the cream foundation evens out my color better than the powders I have used.

Dawn, apricot oil is a lighter oil than sweet almond oil. I like to use it best, but you could also use melted coconut oil which is clear. It will then harden unto to a compact, but will rub nicely on your face. I would try these two methods for lighter liquid foundations.

Your savings will depend on what ingredients you use and what you usually speaks on store bought products. A lot of the ingredients people will already have in their kitchen, like cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg. Arrowroot powder is similar to cornstarch and they can be used interchangeably, depending on how you feel about corn products. The oils can be found online. There’s a link to sweet almond oil on the side panel on this page, and that will cost about ten dollars after shipping, but will last a super long time and can be used as a moisturizer as well. Look on Amazon, bulkapothecary, etc. Or even your local vitamin store to save on shipping.

After learning about the harmful and aging ingredients in many cosmetics and beauty products, I have switched to a clean,natural skin care regimen using natural oils and kitchen beauty aids, so I am thrilled to see your recipes for natural cosmetics. I hope to try making these myself at home. I am so glad I hopped by from Tuesday Greens! All the best, Deborah

Great post! Wonderful idea to make you own foundation. I believe it is the healthiest and best way to make you own products whenever possible. You just never know what you are getting in store bought stuff even if it is organic. Thanks for sharing. Visiting from Oil It Up Wednesdays My Lamp is Full. Have a wonderful healthy day!

Hi! I love your tips for natural and organic cosmetics! I was wondering what could be used as a sunscreen if I chose not to use zinc oxide or anything else that could possibly be harmful to the skin? I would like to add it to the foundation mixture.

There’s really nothing that works like the harmful ingredients we’ve gotten used to. Shea butter can be used instead of the oils in the recipe. It blocks more if rays than the other oils mentioned. Carrot seed oil and red raspberry essential oils are said to be the best at naturally blocking the sun (compared to other natural things). These are expensive, but you cannot use more than a few drops diluted in an oil anyway. I use carrot seed oil in my face serum that I use twice a day: https://simplelifemom.com/2014/01/03/anti-aging-with-essential-oils/
You could also use it in your foundation, as long as it is diluted enough.

I have tried it with arrowroot, cinnamon and coconut oil. Also arrowroot, cinnamon and jojoba oil. And tried arrowroot, cinnamon, cocoa powder, nutmeg. It all does not spread like foundation. It is very gritty and doesn’t cover anything. I do NoT want to buy makeup with all the chemicals but haven’t been successful with this at all. Help??

It depends on how much coverage you want. You may need to add more color to your foundation and less oil to make it less transparent and more opaque. You may also try using powder and not liquid. Everyone’s skin is different and it’s hard to give you the perfect answer. I like to use my morning oil on my face and then use a little powder. My face still has enough oil that it helps it to stay and it covers very well.

Hi, I would like to share my experience with this. I tried the arrowroot powder, cocoa powder and cinnamon powder recipe. I tried to get as close as I could to the Bare Minerals makeup I normally buy (“fair” color) but noticed I wasn’t going to be able to get that “peachy” type color (Maybe adding a dash of Turmeric powder might help?). Anyways, I washed my face, put on a little jojoba oil (believe it or not, besides being a great moisturizer, it keeps my skin from producing too much oil), I put on my normal primer and then put on my homemade makeup. At first, I really didn’t notice any coverage and the powder seemed to stick out and not blend very well. I apparently should have exfoliated first because it was sticking to the little bit of dead skin I had around my nose. I used some finishing powder over it, which didn’t seem to do much. I also tried dabbing a bit of water around the areas that looked really dry. I walked away from the mirror and thought “oh well, I gave it a shot.” About 30 minutes later, I went back to the mirror to look at the makeup again…..to my surprise, it looked better. My face didn’t look really dry like it did a few minutes ago and I didn’t notice some of my other flaws as much. I went back an hour later and it looked even better! I almost couldn’t see my pores at all! I got really excited. I’m not sure if I’ll wear this to work because I’m afraid I’ll have the wrong shade and won’t notice until I’m at work (I’m very self-concious about my looks) but I can at least were it out to the store or to run quick errands, which means I won’t have to use my expensive (and overpriced I might add) makeup that I use for work. So thank you very much for sharing and if anyone has any suggestions for adding a Peachy/pinkish tint to my homemade makeup, please share. Thanks again!

Thank you so much for sharing. I’m thinking a rose color like hibiscus or beet root might give you the tint you need. You can try mustard powder or turmeric (more yellow) but be careful with Turmeric, it can dye your skin yellow in a flash. Again, thanks for sharing your experience. I’m glad it is working for you.

It’s not considered a flour, but a powder. If you used grain flour I’m not sure it would hold up for long. Organic Cornstarch is an option, as is potato starch. Possibly make very small amounts at a time to keep it fresh.

Did you make liquid or powder? Powder is very easy: you just add more arrowroot powder or cornstarch. Liquid is more difficult. You need to start with a lighter powder and add a very light colored oil. You can try mixing in one of the powders I just mentioned.

I made the 2nd powdered foundation except I used bentonite clay bc that’s what I had and when I added fractioned coconut oil to attempt to make it a liquid foundation it turned into a Hershey syrup look alike. Where did I go wrong? I love the powder foundation for daily usage but would super love a liquid version 🙁

I’ve found that lotion makes a better liquid foundation than oil. Oil can work, but you have to start with the powder and add liquid one drop at a time. It comes to the right consistency very quickly. It sounds like you just added too much oil. Also, bentonite clay is like a sponge with water, but tends to be lumpy and not do as well with oils.

You can change the consistency by adding more lotion or oil. As for the nutmeg, it really depends on the brand you use and the size of the powder. You may need to start again. I started with a powder that I loved and then moved to adding a drop of lotion at a time until I found the right amount.

I reacted to cinnamon as well, and have acne so the powder wasn’t as good coverage as I’d like. I haven’t tried a recipe with clay yet, I hear the coverage is better, is that right? Also is there something besides cocoa I can use, I don’t really want to smell chocolate all day… much as I love chocolate (lol)!

The powder lasts as long as you keep it sanitary. The more you touch it with fingers, the sooner you may want to consider replacing it. Powders are more difficult to determine. Oils tend to go bad faster. Jojoba lasts the longest as it is considered a wax and not a carrier oil. Other oils, like olive, have a short shelf life and may go bad within 4 weeks, depending on oxidation and bacteria introduced. You can smell oils going bad by a “stale” oil scent.

Thanks, this is genius! For the second recipe, can bentonite clay replace kaolin clay? I don’t want to buy kaolin for this and then bentonite for the mascara. Was hoping to kill 2 birds with one stone. On the flip side, does kaolin clay work for the mascara recipe? Thanks

Most of our spices are a bit course. Not as fine as cocoa powder. How can I improve the texture? I have maca powder and amla powder which are both cream colored can they be used in the foundation to improve the color?